


Pumpkin Patches Lead To The Best Things

by Swlfangirl



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Adorable, Chef!Derek, Fluff, Happy Ending, Lots of Pumpkins, M/M, No Hale Fire, Sequel to someone Else's fic, Stiles Pining for Pancakes, derek pining, follow up fic, stiles pining
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-01-18
Updated: 2015-01-18
Packaged: 2018-03-08 03:36:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,055
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3193796
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Swlfangirl/pseuds/Swlfangirl
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>-A Sequel Inspired by: Pumpkin Spice Everything, Please.- </p><p>All he wants are some Pumpkin Spice Pancakes. Sure the strawberry ones are good, but he's still craving fluffy, sweet and spicy, pumpkiny fried batter. With all the Hale siblings acting a little weird, Stiles isn't sure he'll ever get what he's looking for. Thankfully; Pumpkin Patches, pushy sisters, and his lack of a verbal filter; he might just land himself a date with Derek Hale.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Pumpkin Patches Lead To The Best Things

**Author's Note:**

  * For [lielabell](https://archiveofourown.org/users/lielabell/gifts).
  * Inspired by [Pumpkin Spice Everything, Please](https://archiveofourown.org/works/2718269) by [lielabell](https://archiveofourown.org/users/lielabell/pseuds/lielabell). 



> This is my first Teen Wolf fic, obviously my first Sterek fic, so be sure to tell me if everyone or anyone is too OOC, but do so nicely please. You can thank Cris for helping me out with both grammar and characterizations, she's made this so much better. You don't even know. Any remaining mistakes are my own, seriously I've gone back and changed a bit since she's signed off so you can totally blame me if something's wrong.

* * *

 

Stiles is dragging the last bite of his soft, scrumptious pancake through the hot maple syrup and strawberry juice when the bell above the entrance rings throughout the diner. He turns to see Laura, the oldest of the too-hawt-to-handle Hale siblings, and really, what is in that gene pool, magic?

 

She looks gorgeous; Stiles knows this despite the two large pumpkins almost entirely shielding her from view. “Derek, you better get your ass out here and help me pack this in. I just rushed through two different farmer’s markets and a Whole Foods store, most of which during a downpour just so you could show off to your little crush. The least you could do is come get these freaking monstrosities!” she called out.

 

Stiles can’t help the way his heart drops as Laura divulges her brother’s secret. It’s one thing to know that you aren’t really on someone’s radar, it is another to have your microscopic, imaginary, utterly ridiculous chances blown to smithereens by the word “crush.” Funnily enough, that’s exactly what it felt like.

 

The Hale women have always flirted with multiple people, and most of them can’t tell if it’s out of genuine interest, to garner better tips, or solely meant to mess with their heads.

 

But Derek…

 

Derek is different, usually opting to glare someone down rather than have a conversation with them. There are a handful of people that are the exception to the rule, and most of them share his DNA, but occasionally, he graces a few others with a small smile. Stiles thinks he’s a pretty lucky dude to have been on the receiving end of those a few times.

 

Faster than he’s ever seen anyone move, Derek is through the kitchen doors and snatching the big orange gourds out of Laura’s hands, whispering angrily to her under his breath. Stiles kinda wishes he had superhuman hearing, if nothing else, just so he will never make the mistake of doing whatever it is his sister is doing to make Derek’s face twitch up like that.

 

 _“Come on, think, Stiles! You’re not completely useless,”_ he tells himself. He doesn’t have to jump too high to draw the obvious conclusion that Derek is bothered with his sister for outing him to everyone about having a crush. Really, it’s more of a tiny step up to the most logical response ever. It feels like there is more, though. His Spidey senses are tingling, and it isn’t the normal song and dance they do any time he’s within twenty feet of the tall, dark, and broody statue that is Derek Hale.

 

Laura smirks at her brother, and that of course only seems to anger him further, which Stiles can very much sympathize with. Laura’s smirk is considered a bad omen, well, at least to him it is. _"Nothing good can come of this,"_ he thinks to himself.

 

Their conversation ends when Derek marches back into the kitchen, the smell of slightly overdone bacon floating out from the back. Stiles feels like a total stalker for watching the entire back and forth between them, but having a Hale in the room with you and not looking is like trying to avoid the California sun in the middle of summer: pretty damn impossible.

 

Stiles pulls his wallet from his back pocket to dig out some ones for a tip. Despite how unflattering Cora’s snort could be, he is already claiming a free breakfast; the least he can do is leave a decent tip. He’s just about to pull out the final bill and lay them all on the counter when he’s pushed harshly back onto the stool he’s been sitting on.

 

“What’s your rush, baby” Laura purrs, setting off warning bells in his brain that sound like he’s just pulled a bank heist.

 

“Oh no rush, none whatsoever really, just you know… finished up here, thought I’d take in the sights. Hey, did you know that most people never even visit tourist attractions in their own hometown? I’m sure Beacon Hills is just full of hidden nuggets of beauty,” the ending rushes out of his mouth. His nerves are getting the best of him causing a healthy flow of rambling, which is not  unexpected. Stiles stumbles back as far as he can off the seat with her hand still placed not so gently on his shoulder.

 

“I’m sure they’ll be there later,” she says as a devious grin lights up her face. He’s tempted to pull his phone out and text an S.O.S. With his luck; Scott wouldn’t know what it meant, and the sheriff would surround the place with cruisers.

 

“So tell me, Stiles. What do you look for in a woman?” He almost doesn’t hear the words until a loud pop goes off near his ear. Cora had somehow managed to get just as close as her sister and he hadn’t even noticed. She chuckles loudly before popping her gum again and staring at him as if she were waiting on something. _“Oh that’s right, there was a question,”_ he reminds himself.

 

“Uh…” He’s usually much more eloquent around the double x-chromosomed Hales, but he really doesn’t like that glint in their eyes that says he’s incredibly screwed, and not in the good way.

 

Stiles yips as they both crowd further into his personal space. He’s almost breathing the same air as they are. Quite frankly, it’s ridiculous and super duper intimidating, which is probably what they’re going for. Stiles swallows hard before trying to answer again, rubbing his hands against the rough denim of his jeans. “I’m not picky, but a pulse and consent are my two non-negotiable deal breakers.”

 

Cora levels him with a stare immediately. In response, he cocks his head to the side to feign innocence that he knows he hasn’t been able to sell since he hit puberty. Laura just smiles, okay not smiles, smiling is what normal people do. Her lips are curled almost completely up to her eyes and she’s grinning wider than the cat who caught the canary. The poor unsuspecting bird never had a chance.

 

“How about men? What do you look for in a man, Stiles?” She coos, playing with her long chestnut curls.

 

Stiles is not even remotely buying into the false pretenses that she’s actually intrigued by his taste or preferences, like at all. No, she has to have some sort of ulterior motive, but what could it be? His mind keeps drawing lines like it would on one of the sheriff's cases but it keeps striking out at big fat nothing. It’s like he doesn’t have all the information, or has a blind spot somewhere.

 

He pauses.

 

“I think you broke him Lor” Cora snorts. All he can think is _“Really..again with the snorting?”_

 

“Y’know, that really can’t be good for your nasal cavity,” he says, causing Cora’s eyebrow to quirk up.  “I-I mean I’m not broken…I just can’t help to wonder why the two most uninterested people in BH are asking me about my personal preferences. I’m pretty sure the only person who is behind you in the line of people wanting to date me is big bad in the kitchen.” he says. His voice breaks slightly, because of course he’s super smooth as always.

 

“Oh isn’t that cute Cor, he’s already got a pet name for Derek.” Laura chuckles. Stiles is getting ready to mock hurt when he hears a growl from the kitchen. It sounds like Derek is just as offended as he is, probably for completely different reasons but he can let that go.

 

“I think I’ll just be, uh…” Stiles motions toward the door, “going now.” Stiles finishes, officially done with whatever twisted plans the girls have for him. It isn’t exactly like he needed be reminded that Derek McHotness Hale is too good for the likes of him, well no more often than his own brain supplies anyway.

 

He sits the money on the counter and reaches for his messenger bag, quickly pulling it over his shoulder. Thankfully, the Hale sisters backed up enough to make him turn sideways and squeeze himself between them, but none the less he escaped. Once outside in the fresh air again, he checks to make sure all of his body parts are still in tact. He finds that luck is on his side, because he could check the yes box on that.

 

 

* * *

 

 

Stiles is miserable. He has been craving pumpkin spice pancakes for almost a week, but refuses to go back to the diner knowing it would only make things worse. He tries not to think about Derek, or about how his pathetic infatuation took a hit from a nuclear warhead, only making it even more pathetic. He almost sinks to the level of begging Scott to pick him up an order to go, but he’s saving it as a last resort.

 

His stomach grumbles a little in protest of his thought pattern, and then it hits him square in the face. Why hadn’t he thought of it sooner? He’ll just make some himself. Sure, they probably won’t be the same, but he could try. He Googles a recipe he thinks he could manage and gets dressed as quickly as possible. Stiles grabs his keys and hops excitedly into Betsy, pointing himself toward the Mason Farm. They’re not as big as Whole Foods, and they tend to give him a little bit of a discount due to him being the sheriff’s kid.

 

He pulls into a packed driveway; he should have known it would be crowded this time of the year. Everyone is buying their vegetables for the chili cook-off at the Fall Harvest Parade. He doesn’t really know why they bother, not when Derek wins every single year. Stiles has tasted the chili cultivated in his kitchen and knows that there is no one in this town, not even Mrs. Talia Hale herself that could make it any better.

 

He fumbles his way through the crowd, doing his damndest to not trip himself as he makes his way over to the pumpkin patch. Stiles looks at them as if he actually knows what he’s supposed to be looking for, but he hadn’t managed to get that far into the pancake planning. He picks out one that looks orange, plump, and hopefully big enough to give him what he needs for the batter.

 

He’s just about to snag it from the vine when he hears his name being called. Stiles swooshes around toward the voice, Laura Hale quickly pressing herself through the thickest mass of people to get to him. Stiles isn’t proud of himself but he briefly entertains the idea of getting the _Hale_ out of there, but that just makes him chuckle at his pun-tastic brilliance. Logically, he knew that he probably couldn’t make a quick enough escape, but he thought about it either way.

 

It isn’t as if he doesn’t like Laura. For the most part, she’s a really awesome person. It’s just that she reminds him of Derek, and all the things he is absolutely not missing about his favorite not-quite greasy spoon diner. Which admittedly, is everything he is trying to avoid at the moment. She latches onto his shoulder once she makes it through the throngs of chilli-makers. Anyone would be flattered to have the hands of Laura Hale on them but it just makes Stiles flinch. He thinks back to the last time she’d put a hand on his shoulder and the fallout that happened right after, which was what put him in his current predicament.

 

“Stiles, thank God!” She sounds _relieved_ , and he’s thrown off his game just a little. Well not that he really has game, per se, but that doesn’t mean he’s not sufficiently distracted. She’s usually pretty friendly to him, if you look past their last encounter at the diner, even going so far to invite him over to the Hale house for a movie marathon a couple times, but never in his entirety of knowing any of them had one looked so damned happy to see him.

 

“Heeyy, Laura,” he drawls out, unsure of what will happen if he moves too quickly or, you know, blinks. He is halfway through convincing himself that it’s all a dream when her voice quickly pulls him back out of his mind palace. Well, Sherlock has a palace; Stiles’ is more of a mind pillow fort that looks strangely similar to the last one he built with Scott.

 

“STILES!” she barks, probably having already tried to get his attention a few times..

 

“Yeah, sorry… was just thinking. What’s up?” He fiddles with the hem of his graphic tee as he wills himself to maintain eye contact.

 

“I will give you twenty dollars, right this second, if you haul your skinny ass down to the diner.” Stiles blinks, that’s actually the last thing he expects to come out of her mouth. He takes in her expression; she looks a little tired but not too exhausted, although, her eyes are pleading with him in a look that he’s never seen on her before.

 

“Laura, I’m not doubting your expert business sense here, but doesn’t it typically work the other way around? I go to the diner, order food, then pay you guys?” he asks, crossing his arms over his chest defensively. He could see something big was coming, and he wanted to prepare himself as best he could.

 

She levels him with a glare that clearly says she’s not taking any of his crap before she responds. “Look, it was funny at first, but now it’s just pathetic. We’ve got twenty pumpkins stacked in the back of the kitchen, but I still have to go scouring for more, _“just in case.”_ He’s paranoid there’s going to be some massive rush on pumpkin products, and you’ll come in wanting them again, and he won’t be able to make them for you. The growling is the worst though, oh God the growling, STILES! Please, you have to go down there, and let him make you some damn pancakes.” She breathes out the end as if it’s actually painful. 

 

It takes a minute for everything to register. Derek was apparently pretty upset that they’d ran out of pumpkin, sure maybe it was sucky but not something that really should have affected the gorgeous chef. It’s probably just a customer service itch he needs scratched or something. Stiles can do that for Derek. He can swallow his pride and eat the pancakes he’s been craving without latching onto his leg like a child and begging him to never leave.

 

“Yeah, I guess. Sure.” Because he’s hella confident in his ability to handle the impending scenario. He doesn’t take her money, but he does follow her out of the Mason’s field and back toward the oh so busy metropolis of Beacon Hills. He rolls his eyes at himself and swipes an irritated hand at his face, hoping to ease the nervous anxiety that is building inside him. It’s nowhere near panic attack levels, but after so many years of dealing with them he gets a little bitter about any kind of uncomfortable energy buzzing under his skin.

 

Stiles pulls into one of the first spots he finds in the parking lot and considers bashing his head against the steering wheel for agreeing to this. He closes his eyes and takes a deep breath hoping it will soothe his nerves. _“It’s just pancakes,”_ he tells himself. Eventually he steps out of his jeep and follows Laura through the familiar doorway.

 

The smell of pumpkin, cinnamon, and nutmeg hits his nose the second he pushes inside, which causes his stomach to rumble loudly. He groans at the delicious aroma and chastises himself for not giving in sooner. His brain quickly reminds him that just a few seconds ago he was dreading this moment. He understands this. He reasons with himself that he’s a complicated guy with a wide range of complex emotions and moods, then quickly shuts them all down.

 

He’s engulfed into a harsh hug, knocking him off guard as he feels the tight grip of Cora’s arms around his waist. He starts to think maybe someone has slipped something into the Hale’s water supply.

 

Just as he’s about to ask what’s going on, Derek steps out from the back, and of course he’s wearing an apron tied snugly around what Stiles knows to be sculpted perfection. He’d gotten an eyeful once when he caught Derek mid-workout. He’d been escorting Cora home after a really late shift. In order to not swallow his tongue, he’d changed the direction of view immediately. So what if he’d hung on to the fleeting image like a child’s security blanket? Nobody would know except for him, and Stiles had years to get used to his slightly creepier side.

 

His eyes flick up to the broad muscled shoulders, bulging beneath the solid black tee. Briefly Stiles indulges the idea of what it would be like for those strong arms to hold him up against the wall, or down against the bed, or basically any other direction he can think of at the moment. He bites the inside of his cheek to keep himself from panting like the horndog Derek seems to bring out in him, effortlessly.

 

Laura and Cora both push him until he comes to a skid in front of the counter. It isn’t until he’s closer that he realizes Derek is actually smiling. He starts to order his pancakes but gets caught up in the hazel green eyes and the too gorgeous way his front teeth are just a little longer, making the way he bites his lip even more enticing. It isn’t until he hears one of the girls clear their throat that he’s pulled out of his pleasant daydream.

 

“Hey, man. Can I get an order of those Pumpkin Spice Pancakes, please?” He asks, nervously tugging his lower lip into his mouth. He sees Derek tracking the movement with his eyes and feels a blush climbing the back of his neck. The crushing weight of Laura’s declaration comes back to him swooping up his temporarily gained good-mood. He tries to force a smile, it’s not Derek’s fault that his heart doesn’t understand the dating hierarchy or the fact that he is so totally out of Stiles’ league..

 

“Yep, coming right up.” Derek disappears to the back and Stiles slinks down onto the stool in front of the counter, hoping he’s got enough willpower to keep himself in check for the duration of his meal. He slides his shoe across the linoleum floor, causing a slight movement of his seat. He twists his chair around until one leg is outstretched completely, before spinning the other direction. They’re friends, well sort of, and he doesn’t want to lose that. Derek has even said he thought Stiles was cool too, which made his stomach twist in a fluttery, tingly, completely platonic way… right?

 

“FINALLY!” the Hale sisters happily chirp in chorus.

 

When it happens, it feels as if a lightning bolt has struck him. Stiles considers himself an observant person, you don’t grow up with the Sheriff as your dad and not pick up a few tricks. It’s just that he really can’t believe it, like everything inside him, including his brain is screaming, _“Does not compute,”_ as the strings start to make a clear pattern. He begins to think it through just a precautionary measure so he doesn’t make himself look even more ridiculous than he normally does.

 

Derek was so eager to make sure that he could make Stiles’ breakfast, even if it wasn’t really what he wanted. Laura came back in toting pumpkins and mentioning a crush. Derek gets super duper angry and scowly at her for saying so. Hale sisters corner him and tease him as if they knew something he didn’t. Laura was tired of buying pumpkins because someone of the male persuasion acted as if it was the Pumpkin Apocalypse and they were going to run out at any moment. Laura seemed to think that if he went back to the diner things would be easier for her, even going as far to offer him twenty bucks. Each of these things were pins in his theory board, leading up to one big fat pin that was the fact that Derek freaking Hale smiled at him, openly and with an audience.

 

It was a good thing he’d already taken his seat, Stiles was pretty sure he would have fallen down had he been standing up when the realization struck home. Derek had a crush, and all signs were pointing to it being him. He pinches himself, and counts his fingers just for good measure, and before he can say anything else, he sees a plateful of pancakes slip under his nose. His stomach gives another healthy grumble, but he puts it on hold to look up at Derek, that is still smiling.

 

Stiles can’t help but smile back, not with the warmth flooding through him as his hope gradually builds. He picks up his silverware filled napkin and unrolls it quickly, Derek still watching him in anticipation. He swallows thickly once he fixes his gaze back toward his plate. He cuts a triangle into the stack and they separate easily. The small dab of cream cheese frosting melts in the center and he dips his bite into it before bringing it to his mouth. He draws it in and closes his eyes in ecstasy.

 

He doesn’t even try to fight the moan that rumbles from his throat as the sweet flavors meld together on his tongue. When he finishes chewing his first bite he looks up and there’s a small tint of red against Derek’s tanned cheeks. He’s standing there nervously pulling at the back of his neck as if he’s been caught with his hand in the cookie jar. Stiles can’t take it anymore, if nothing else he can say he tried, that’s something right?

 

“Oh my God, Derek, I could marry you for these alone.” Okay, so probably not the best way it could have come out, but that’s how he rolls.

 

The red gets a little, well redder and Derek ducks his face down just a tad. “Maybe, have dinner with me first?”

 

“I was right! YES!” Stiles throws his hands in the air triumphantly, until everyone is staring at him like he’s a lunatic, well everyone who doesn’t know him personally. Isaac is in the corner shaking his head laughing, the Hale sisters are rolling their eyes and smiling fondly at him, and Derek is just looking hella confused.

 

“Oh, yes! Of course, yes! You, me, dinner, I’ll do all the talking you can just sit there and be gorgeous and brood a little if you want, turns out I’m kinda into that. Although I do think the smile you put on this morning is equally appealing, so whichever you prefer is fine with me.” Stiles grins as he sucks in another bite, not taking his eyes off Derek as he moans a little more quietly around the fork.

 

“Tonight?” Derek asks, quickly clearing his throat.

 

“Yeah, sure I’m free tonight. You can pick me up around eight?” Stiles can feel his heartbeat jackrabbiting in excitement. The nerves of the day gone completely because Derek freaking Hale wants to go out, on a date, with HIM!

 

“Awesome, I uh.. I need to go back… but I’ll see you later.” Derek jerks his head toward the back and Stiles nods, signaling his approval. He may or may not stare at the way Derek’s jeans fit to the curve of his ass as he walks away, well okay he totally does but anyone would.

 

When he leaves the Hale’s diner, he can feel the small ache in his cheeks from smiling so much and it doesn’t fade even after he’s managed to drive himself all the way home. He pulls up a notepad on his laptop and marks the date.

  
**10/16/15 - Derek asked me out on our first date after I offered to marry him for Pumpkin Spice Pancakes. I have a feeling this is going to be a very good, very important day.**

 

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